Get ready to hit the seedier side of Tokyo and slug it out in HD – Yakuza 3 is coming. The "real" Yakuza 3. As first reported on 2chan, the latest issue of Famitsu quotes Yakuza series director Toshihiro Nagoshi as stating that the game is a direct sequel to Yakuza 2, and is in development exclusively for PS3.

Nagoshi states in the Famistu article that Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! – which is set in Edo-era Japan – is actually considered a spin-off from the "main" Ryu ga Gotoku series (Yakuza here in the West). No release date has been announced for the series' third (well, technically fourth) installment, but we'll keep you posted.

While we already know the game will be an immediate sequel to the second, featuring the same characters and the same storyline, what we didn't know was that the game's going to be taking a pleasant break from the streets of faux-Tokyo. While the game will still be based around Kamurocho, it'll be adding a "second city": island getaway Okinawa (or, at least, a fictional take on Okinawa). Toshihiro "Brown Man" Nagoshi talks up the addition, saying the addition of the island's resort lifestyle and touristy atmosphere - coupled with its "darker side" - will stand in stark contrast to the gritty, urban atmosphere of Kamurocho, and as far as the story goes "fits the bill perfectly". No doubt the location testing will also fit Nagoshi's sun-bathing bill perfectly, so it's a win-win situation for all involved.

SEGA's Yakuza series has been successful in its native Japan. In the West, not so — blame poor localizations for that! Now, it looks like Yakuza 3's North America release is undecided. Crud.

The previous Yakuza title Ryu Ga Gotoku: KENZAN! still hasn't gotten a localized Western release. And when asked about upcoming PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 (aka Yakuza 3), SEGA told site PS3Center.net: "We currently don't know what the future of the Yakuza franchise is for North America."

SEGA America did mention optimistically that it hoped the Yakuza titles would get North America releases. Unlike the tragically dubbed Yakuza, Japanese voice options for KENZAN! and Yakuza 3 pretty please!

Sega of america has been doing a terrible job promoting this franchise. First the generic name, few publicity and the only references you will get is that it was like "GTA in Japan" which of course couldn't be further from the truth. They released Yakuza 2 over here at the shadow of many other hyped games, and more than one year after it was released in Japan. Again, Sega's marketing team needs to get a clue of how to do things.